The Cursed Land (2024)

The Cursed Land (2024). 2h 8m

“After the death of his wife, a plant worker moves with his teenage daughter to a derelict mansion in a Muslim-majority suburb of Bangkok where his disrespect of several artifacts inadvertently unleashes a series of curses upon them and must try to make it right to stop the incidents from continuing.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOverall, this one has quite a lot going for it. Among the main likable features here is the strong storyline that lets the film work in localized folklore and traditions as a building block for more straightforward supernatural antics. Operating within the confines of the countryu0026#39;s history by exploring Thailandu0026#39;s uneasy cultural and social relationship with Malaysian citizens with the Muslim community conflicting mightily with the more traditional Buddhist methodology in place throughout the country is a wonderous way to work with here. Rather than just simply coming upon a series of ghosts or hallucinations and thinking itu0026#39;s all just inside his head, the downward spiral is instead given a historical context that easily explains everything happening to him and his relationship with those around him. When those aspects are brought up as a possible means for the nature of whatu0026#39;s going on around him, this setup becomes more believable which helps to bring together the confines of the final half where it all makes sense. In addition, the film gets a lot right with its series of impressive and somewhat chilling hauntings. With the opening setup featuring a small hint of the resulting curse that affects others coming shortly, the gradual build-up of events once the action shifts to the present day is quite intriguing. Featuring the traditional series of setups including hallucinations of people or things that arenu0026#39;t there, shadows coming to life behind their knowledge, or whispers of demonic influence taking hold, these aspects are a major part of the middle segments here as the haunted house-style structure is in place. These lead up to the strong finale where the spectacle is ratcheted up a notch involving the influence of spectral beings, banishment rituals, a supernatural combat session, and a more focused energy that allows for a lot of action to take place at a time when itu0026#39;s warranted and necessary. This section also brings about the big importance of utilizing the Muslim culture for how the demonic beings interact and how the spiritual battles take place which adds a different flavor to these scenes. As a whole, these factors are enough to bring about a lot of fun for this one although there are some issues here that arise. One of the main detriments is a challenging and somewhat unnecessary running time that goes on way longer than it should. While we get plenty of build-up surrounding their strained relationship and the need to rebuild it as well as the inner workings of their being in the community, some of this goes on way too long and causes the pacing to drag and stutter to a halt as a result. Quite a bit of the repetitive nature of the neighborsu0026#39; trying to instill their beliefs upon the two or welcome them into the community at work is capable of being trimmed, much like the flashback explaining the origins of the cursed property that plays out in a reenactment rather than just being served as a story told explaining what happened. Seeing the past featured as it does with the various figures responsible for cursing and countercursing the location is just exhaustive and draining when just a simple story about it wouldu0026#39;ve made the film go by a little easier. Also, the need to include the secondary backstory involving his depression over his dead wife and the grief associated with that as the reasoning for his easy possession doesnu0026#39;t need to be there as the religious history of the house and surrounding areas was already enough to explain what was going on. Tacking this on feels like overkill at a time when it doesnu0026#39;t need anything extra added to it, and is what ends up holding the film back slightly.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eRated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Violence.”